


Ref

by aceschwarz222



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Post-Recovery Bucky Barnes, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, bucky barnes has a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-13 10:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10511559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceschwarz222/pseuds/aceschwarz222
Summary: There are very few things anymore that surprise James Buchanan Barnes. That all changes however, when a mysterious cat appears in his fridge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I was thinking about maybe doing some more parts for this...let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, come say hi on Tumblr! @omalleysgirl22

There were very few things in life that surprised James Buchanan Barnes anymore. Flying battleships? No problem. The existence of aliens? Bucky didn’t even blink an eye. Mutated humans that committed acts of pure evil? Just another Monday. 

But today, Bucky got the shock of his life.

Bucky wasn’t a huge fan of roommates, so he preferred to live by himself in the city instead of with everyone else in the Avengers Tower. He had come back to his apartment after training with Steve and Nat, and as soon as he unlocked the deadbolt on his door, something felt off. He could almost feel an intruding presence in the atmosphere.

Leaving the door slightly open to avoid making more noise, he tensed up, prepared to fight. Bucky whirled his head around as a small rustling noise drew his attention over to the kitchen. Someone was definitely here.

He crept over to the source of the noise and pressed his back against the wall between the kitchen and living room. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he raised his fists. His metal arm whirred softly as the plates contracted.

Bucky spun around the corner and went to lunge at the intruder. Surprisingly, there was no one there. The kitchen was completely empty. He took a few deep breaths to calm his pounding heart, and sighed. Maybe he was just overreacting.

Suddenly, he heard the rustling noise again, but louder this time. He head turned around and his gaze landed on the fridge. Walking up to the door, he felt a cool stream of air tickle his skin. The door was just barely open.

He yanked the handle so hard he nearly pulled the door off in the process. His gaze flickered from shelf to shelf until it settled on something so unexpected, so unusual, so bizarre, that Bucky had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

There, sitting on the middle shelf of his fridge, was a cat.

“What the-” he stuttered.

“Meow,” the cat replied.

Its fur was black with patches of different shades of orange, and it stared up at Bucky with big, green eyes. It was sitting next to the leftover takeout Bucky had gotten the night before. The corner of the container was ripped open, and he saw some of the lo mein noodles spilling out onto the shelf.

Before Bucky could react, the mystery cat hopped out of the refrigerator and sauntered to the front door. It slinked out the small opening, and by the time Bucky had enough sense to follow it out to the hallway, it disappeared.

After determining the cat was truly gone, Bucky shut the door and made sure it was locked. He checked every single window to see any of them were open, but they were all latched shut. There was no possible way the cat could have gotten into the apartment, much less his freaking fridge (which, it should be noted, had also been closed).

Scratching his head, he chalked it up to a crazy coincidence and went to clean up the mess in his fridge.

* * *

 

Several days went by without any sightings of Refrigerator Cat. Every time Bucky left his apartment, he made sure the windows were shut and his door was securely locked. Whenever he came home, he examined each room carefully to see if it had returned. He also stalked up and down the hallways of the apartment building with no success. After the fifth consecutive day with no sighting, Bucky concluded that there was no need to worry anymore.

That night, he sat up in bed with the spine-tingling sensation that someone was watching him. He went to get out of his bed when he felt a lump on the left end of his blanket.

He cautiously reached his hand over to the lamp resting on his nightstand. Flicking on the switch, he quickly kicked his legs out in the direction of the lump as the light illuminated the room.

For the second time in one week, Bucky was surprised at what he saw in front of him.

Refrigerator Cat mewled as Bucky’s legs shoved it off the bed. Instead of fleeing in terror, it simply hopped back up on the bed and curled itself in a little ball. Bucky could have sworn its gaze was judging him for kicking it off the bed.

They stared at each other for a few moments, neither one willing to be the first to break their gaze.

“This is ridiculous,” Bucky muttered, finally breaking the silence. “I’m staring down a damn cat.”

He sighed and looked at the clock beside his lamp. The green digital numbers read 12:36am. Bucky really needed to get some sleep, and he was too tired to deal with his current predicament.

“Fine, you can stay,” he grumbled. “But stay over there!” He laid back down, pulled the blanket up to his chin, and went back to sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, the cat was gone. He checked all the windows and doors again, but he could find no rational explanation for how it had gotten in or out of his apartment. Maybe he was hallucinating the whole thing thanks to all the years of HYDRA torture. He shook his head and left to get to the Tower for training.

* * *

 

The following week, Bucky came home from a mission thoroughly exhausted. A simple retrieval assignment had turned into a full out battle against a HYDRA sleeper cell. Steve, Bucky, and Nat had won, but they certainly hadn’t come out unscathed.

Bucky dropped his tactical bag on the floor and limped over to the bathroom. Removing his shirt, he began to properly assess the damage. Huge bruises covered his ribs, and they were tender to the touch. Small scratches littered his face, and dried blood tightened his skin. He kneeled down to get his first aid kit from under the sink.

When Bucky opened the door, he found Refrigerator Cat laying on top of the extra rolls of toilet paper he kept in the cabinet. Bucky yelped and stumbled backwards, cursing as his sensitive torso banged against the tub.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he yelled. He stood back up and glared at the cat. “That’s it,” he growled, reaching towards it so he could throw it outside. The cat seemed to smile as it ran just out of Bucky’s reach and back towards his bedroom.

Bucky went to follow it but winced as the pain in his chest radiated throughout his entire body. He lowered himself onto the edge of the tub in defeat and put his head in his hands.

“Why me?” he called to the ceiling. “Haven’t I dealt with enough crap in my life?” Of course, no one answered.

“I’ve got a cat that seems to materialize out of nowhere, and I’m talking to my bathroom ceiling. Yup, Barnes, you are the picture of mental health.”

Carefully kneeling back down, he grabbed the first aid kit and patched up his wounds. He took three or four heavy-duty pain pills for good measure and wobbled back to his room. Of course, Refrigerator Cat was already curled up on the corner of his blanket. Bucky ignored it as he fell face-first into his bed.

A few hours later, Bucky woke up drenched in sweat. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that he felt like it was climbing up his throat. Shallow breaths escaped his lungs as he sat up and tried to contain his panic. The meds might help with pain management, but there was always the risk of vivid dreams as a side effect. Or in Bucky’s case, nightmares.

“My...name is James...Buchanan Barnes,” he wheezed, clutching his aching chest. “My best friend...is Steve Rogers. I live in...Brooklyn.” He repeated his mantra over and over again until he could say it without a hitch.

Bucky looked around the room and tried to find something he could focus on to center himself as he calmed down. His gaze turned to the corner of his bed where Refrigerator Cat had fallen asleep earlier. He had expected it to be gone by now, but surprisingly, it was still there.

The cat stared at him, and Bucky found himself focusing on its green eyes. The color was soothing, and it helped him gain control over his breathing. Eventually, he laid back down against his pillows.

“Meow,” the cat chirped.

“Yeah,” Bucky scoffed. “It’s real pleasant for me too, let me tell ya.”

Its small, pink tongue flicked up at its nose as it began to walk over to Bucky. He watched it carefully as it got closer and closer. It put a tentative paw on Bucky’s sweatpant-covered knee and looked to him as if waiting for approval. When Bucky didn’t move, the cat padded forward and settled between his legs. It stretched out so its back legs rested down by Bucky’s knees, and its head lay just above the waistband of his pants. Its front paws resting on an unbruised section of his torso. It closed its eyes and settled into its new position.

Bucky looked down at the cat in disbelief and wasn’t quite sure what to do. He carefully reached out a shaky right hand and lightly patted its head. He felt a vibrating sensation against his legs, and when he pulled his hand away, it stopped. Refrigerator Cat’s eyes opened and small slits of green stared up at him. Bucky put his hand back down on its head and continued to pet it. The vibrations started up again, and Bucky realized the cat was purring. The sensations felt comforting against his skin, and Bucky felt the tension in his shoulders release as he was overcome by sleep.

* * *

 

“I’m telling ya, Buck, if I have to go to one more of these DC luncheons…” Steve’s voice trailed off as he flopped down on Bucky’s couch. He loosened the tie on his neck and sighed miserably. Steve might be Captain America, but he really hated the politics that came along with his job.

“You’re the one that wears the stars and stripes on his uniform,” Bucky reminded him. “Just deal with it.”

“Easy for you to say! You sit in this crappy apartment whenever we’re not busy!”

Bucky pushed down the urge to throw a pillow at his best friend for insulting his home. Instead, he went to his bedroom to change out of his gym clothes. While Steve had been stuck dealing with politicians, Bucky and Nat had practiced some sparring techniques.

“You got any food?” Steve called from the living room.

“We’re ordering pizza soon, punk!” Bucky yelled as he put on a clean shirt and shorts.

“So? Is the pizza here yet?”

Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “There’s some chips in the cabinet above the oven if you really can’t wait.”

He heard Steve beeline it from the couch to the kitchen. Bucky had just pulled on a sweatshirt when he heard a loud crash.

“Holy crap!” Steve yelled. “Bucky!”

Fearing the worst, Bucky rushed over only to find Steve staring at the open cabinet. He held a bag of potato chips in his hand and a green bowl lay in three pieces on the floor. Steve used the unoccupied hand to point to whatever was in the cabinet.

Bucky walked over and wasn’t surprised to see Refrigerator Cat sitting patiently inside, its tail swishing from side to side.

“What? How?” Steve stuttered. He looked between the cat and Bucky, expecting to see Bucky freaking out as much as he was. Surprisingly, Bucky’s face remained neutral, if not slightly amused.

“Why are you not freaking out?” Steve yelled.

“It’s just Ref,” Bucky replied. Ref hopped down from the cabinet and meandered over to the living room.

“Ref?”

“Yeah, Refrigerator Cat got too long, so I call it Ref.”

Steve stared at Bucky as if he had grown an extra head.

“I think you’re going to need to start from the beginning,” he said, slowly.

So Bucky did. He described how he first found Ref hiding in his fridge and how it’s been “visiting” ever since. Ever since the nightmare incident, Ref had been coming over at random times every few days or so. There was no rhyme or reason to its visitation patterns, and sometimes Bucky would go a whole week without seeing it. By now, Bucky was so used to Ref’s presence, that he was no longer fazed by its crazy antics.

“I have no idea how the damn thing gets in though,” Bucky concluded. “I’ve checked the windows and doors at least half a dozen times.”

“So you found a cat in your refrigerator...and didn’t think to tell anyone?” Bucky just shrugged. “How did it even get in?”

Bucky sighed impatiently. “I just said I have no idea. It just shows up.”

“Do you know if it has an owner?”

“No.”

“Have you tried looking?”

“No.”

“Why not?!” Steve asked exasperatedly. “What if someone is really missing it?”

Bucky hated to admit it, but Ref had kind of grown on him. He didn’t completely mind opening random doors in his apartment and finding it waiting for him. He also didn’t mind the way Ref would sleep on him, especially after a nightmare. Ref’s syncopated purring would always lull Bucky back to sleep. He actually thought about buying it some cat food, but considering the little bugger seemed to wind up in his kitchen cabinets most of the time, he was pretty sure it was well-fed. At least, that’s what Bucky assumed by the amount of crumbs and torn packages he found afterward.

“Buck, you gotta check around for the owner,” Steve persisted.

Bucky knew his friend was right, but it didn’t make him happy. “Fine,” he conceded. He whistled and Ref came over right away. He knelt down and Ref allowed itself to be scooped up in Bucky’s arms.

“Exactly how long has it been coming here?” Steve asked, marvelling at Bucky’s apparent talent with animals.

“Ummm about three months?” he admitted sheepishly.

“Three months! And I’m just finding out now?!” he yelled.

Bucky bolted for the door with Ref to avoid more of Steve’s outrage. “You coming or not, punk?” he called over his shoulder.

“Meow,” Ref chimed in.

Steve could only shake his head and follow them both out the door.

They knocked on every unit on Bucky’s floor with no success. No one owned Ref or even knew who might own him. When they went downstairs to the second and first floors, it was the same story. Secretly, Bucky hoped no one would be able to help. Bucky and Steve stood outside the last door on the fourth floor and knocked three times. If this person didn’t know the cat, Steve was ready to admit defeat.

They heard the door unlatch and a woman answered it. She had sparkling blue eyes, and her curly hair bounced as she squealed in recognition at the cat in Bucky’s arms.

“Luna!” she cried. “There you are!” ‘Luna’ hopped out of Bucky’s arms and trotted into the girl’s apartment.

“So it’s yours?” Bucky asked, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice.

“Yeah, she is! Was she bothering you?” she asked. Her smile disappeared as concern took over.

Bucky smiled and shook his head. “Nah, Ref’s fine.”

“Ref?” the woman asked, cocking her head to the side.

Bucky blushed. “Um, yeah, I found her in my refrigerator one day, so I started calling her Refrigerator Cat. Ref for short.” He expected the girl to slam the door in his face, but instead, she busted out laughing.

“Refrigerator Cat, that’s hysterical! I’ll have to tell my mom that one!” She smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

Bucky and Steve shook her hand and introduced themselves as well.

“I have no idea how she gets out, but Luna’s always been an escape artist,” Y/N explained. “She always comes back after a few hours, so I’ve stopped worrying about her to be honest.” She blushed shyly and looked down at her feet. “It’s nice to know someone as nice as you has been taking care of her.”

Steve tried his best to contain his cheeky grin as Bucky’s face turned scarlet and he fumbled with his words.

“I mean, I know I should have looked for you sooner,” Bucky spluttered, “but she’s cute, you know? And she keeps me company and eats my food. Well, I mean, she probably shouldn’t be eating my food because I’m sure you feed her actual cat food, but…”

“What my friend is trying to say,” Steve interrupted smoothly, “is that we’re glad we know Ref has an actual home.”

Y/N giggled. “It’s no problem. Don’t worry, I would have been banging on doors if I thought she was really lost.”

They all stood in the hallway for a few moments, unsure of how to proceed. Bucky finally cleared his throat.

“Um, would it be okay if Ref, I mean Luna, kept coming to my place?” Bucky asked nervously.

Y/N nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely!” She paused and looked at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “You know, I should probably get your number. Just in case I really don’t know where she is. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“Uh, yeah, sure!” Bucky replied. He added her number in his phone and sent her a text so she would have his. They exchanged goodbyes and Bucky and Steve walked back down the hall towards the stairwell.

“Hey Bucky?” Y/N called. He turned around and Y/N smiled. “I want to take you out to dinner to pay for all the food I’m sure Luna’s been eating. You interested?”

Completely forgetting his plans to watch baseball with Steve, Bucky beamed and replied,

“How about tonight?”


	2. Luna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After accepting Y/N’s invitation to dinner, Bucky nervously prepares for his date, with a little help from Luna, of course. Sequel to Ref.

A knock at the door pulled Bucky’s attention away from the bathroom mirror. He had been attempting to finish getting ready for his date with Y/N, but he kept changing his mind on what shirt he wanted to wear. He had shaved and combed his hair, but the outfit was really giving him a hard time. Shrugging on a t-shirt in defeat, he made his way over to the front door as the person outside knocked again. **  
**

“I’m coming!” he called, turning the doorknob. He was surprised to find the hallway empty. At least, he thought it was empty until he felt something soft rub against his leg. Bucky looked down to find Ref purring at his feet.

“Hey Ref!” he exclaimed, picking the cat up. “I mean, Luna.” The cat chirped contently in his arms, unconcerned about her name.

“Thanks for using the door this time,” he chuckled, walking back inside. She rubbed her head against his chin, and he noticed a small piece of paper sticking out of her collar. Bucky took the note out and unfolded the paper.

_You are cordially invited to dinner at Y/N’s apartment at 7:30pm. Can’t wait to see you! :)_

Bucky smiled as he read Y/N’s loopy handwriting.

“Meow.” Luna moved her head towards the clock in Bucky’s living room, and he gasped when he saw the time.

“7:15!” he yelped. “I’m not even ready yet!”

Bucky dashed back into his bedroom and scoured through his closet. Luna sat on his bed, licking her front paw. He held up different shirts, gauging Luna’s reaction. She continued to lick her paw, completely uninterested in his shirt choice choice.

“Oh my god,” Bucky groaned, putting his head in his hands. “I just looked to a cat for fashion advice.” He pulled out one last red Henley and stared at it.

“Meow!” Luna chirped. Bucky turned and held the shirt up for her to see.

“This one?” he asked. Luna meowed again and hopped off his bed to the front door. She banged her head against the wood, and Bucky took the hint to get ready.

“Alright, let’s go,” he said, pulling the shirt over his head. He opened the door and Luna led the way to Y/N’s apartment.

Bucky swallowed nervously as he stared at her door. Maybe this was a bad idea. He hadn’t been on a date in god knows how long. Who knew if he even remembered how to date someone?

Luna became impatient with Bucky’s conflicted inner monologue and banged her head against Y/N’s door. He gulped as the door opened.

Y/N answered the door with a bright smile on her face. Bucky couldn’t help but stare at her. She wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, and her hair hung in waves. She was absolutely stunning, and Bucky couldn’t help but pull his left sleeve down self-consciously.

“Hey Bucky! Come in!” She grabbed his right hand and pulled him inside. Bucky could smell food, but he was surprised to see the kitchen table completely empty. Y/N continued to lead him to the other end of her apartment.

“I figured since it’s such a beautiful evening, we could eat outside,” she explained.

“Sounds good,” Bucky replied as they walked into her bedroom.

Y/N opened a large window next to her bed and climbed out onto the fire escape with Bucky following closely behind. A small card table and chairs were set up on the metal platform. Bucky grinned when he noticed the the food.

Y/N cleared her throat and straightened her posture. “For tonight’s meal,” she said in a fancy British accent, “we have a delicious Asian cuisine. You’ll find thin noodles drenched in a tangy sweet and sour sauce accompanied by mixed vegetables. You’ll notice for our side dish we have thinly sliced potatoes lightly tossed in salt and baked to perfection. To quench your thirst, our chefs have prepared the finest chocolate milk this side of Brooklyn. Finally, for dessert, we have a soft, moist cake filled with sweet, creamy icing.”

Bucky tried to keep a straight face, but when Y/N let out a slight giggle, he couldn’t help but laugh. Tears streamed down their faces as they collapsed into their chairs.

“So, we’re having lo mein, potato chips, chocolate milk, and Twinkies?” Bucky asked between laughs.

Y/N grabbed her stomach and nodded. “I figured I could give you back the food Luna ate,” she replied, wiping away a few stray tears. “Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect,” Bucky smiled. Y/N blushed slightly under his gaze and returned a grin.

Bucky couldn’t put his finger on it, but for some reason, he was pretty sure Y/N’s dinner was the best he had eaten in a long time.

Maybe it was the ease of the conversation that flowed naturally between the two of them. Or, maybe it was the gorgeous sunset they watched as they clinked their glasses of chocolate milk together. He couldn’t help but think her smile became more radiant as the sky changed colors. At one point, Bucky was certain it was because Luna joined them on the fire escape and curled in a ball on Bucky’s legs. They both giggled at how adorable the mischievous cat could be.

Maybe it was really because he wasn’t trying to hide his left arm anymore. At some point during dinner, he had stopped pulling down his sleeve and let his metal hand show freely. Instead of shying away or asking questions, Y/N gently wrapped her hand around his, loosely intertwining their fingers.Y/N made him feel comfortable, made him feel like a real person, not a monster. She liked him for who he was now, and if Bucky was being honest with himself, he really liked her too.

Bucky really knew for sure after dinner. He helped her clean the dishes after they finished their Twinkies. Y/N flicked some soapy water at his face, and his mouth gaped open in shock.

“Oh, you’re in trouble now,” he mock threatened, sticking his hand in the bubbles. He stalked toward her as she pretended to run away in fear. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up into the air, running a soapy hand down her cheek.

“Ah! Bucky!” she giggled, trying to swat him away. He put her down and she turned around to face him.

Not to be left out, Luna trotted over to the kitchen and collided with Bucky’s legs. She then walked over to Y/N and did the same. Her actions caused Y/N and Bucky to stumble into each other. Bucky grabbed Y/N’s arms to keep her from falling. Luna was persistent and kept attempting to tangle herself in their legs.

“Luna!” Y/N scolded, as she almost fell into Bucky again. She grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. Bucky swallowed and gained some courage.

“If I didn’t know better,” he chuckled, “I’d say Luna’s trying to tell us to kiss.” He cleared his throat and his face turned scarlet. “I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed. “That sounded way better in my head.”

Surprisingly, Y/N laughed and cupped his cheek. She gave him a small, sweet kiss and Bucky was pretty sure he could hear trumpets blasting triumphantly overhead. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer and kissed her again.

After a few minutes, they finally pulled away, breathless and slightly flustered.

“Well, this was a good dinner,” Y/N said, grinning.

“Best dinner I’ve had,” Bucky replied, kissing her forehead.

“Meow.”

Bucky and Y/N looked down to see Luna sitting between their feet. Her big, green eyes stared up at them.

“You know, Luna, this is all your doing,” Y/N said. She leaned into Bucky’s chest for a hug, and he eagerly wrapped her in his embrace.

Luna just sat there and purred.


End file.
